Epoxy is a great flooring option for garages because of its resilience and longevity, as well as the available options for color and design. But while epoxy coatings are typically applied to new concrete floors at the time of installation, many people have older concrete floors in their garage that they hope to improve with epoxy.
Is epoxy a viable option for older garage floors? This is what you need to know from the experts in epoxy flooring Tampa:
Surface vs Slab Deterioration
For older concrete floors, deterioration is a big concern. It is inevitable that concrete will begin to crack and show signs of wear and tear after some years of use. Whether that can get in the way of epoxy is another question.
The first thing you need to do when you consider the application of epoxy is to assess the health of your old concrete floors. It is normal for there to be some cracking, but are the cracks deep? Is there a slight shift when pressure is applied to the concrete? Concrete with severe and deep cracks is not viable for epoxy and will need to be replaced with a new slab.
But if the cracks are relatively minimal, a simple patching compound could be enough to prep the floors for epoxy.
Options for Epoxy Floors
For older concrete floors, there are a variety of epoxy flooring options available depending on the state of your floors as well as any possible sealers on the surface.
If your garage floors are in relatively good condition, a simple epoxy floor coating should be enough to give you the results you want. Concrete contractors can customize the prep process to suit older concrete floors and then apply an epoxy coating on them. But if you have any sealers or coatings on the floors, they will first need to be removed to allow the epoxy to bind with the concrete.
On the other hand, if your concrete floors have significant surface damage (cracks, pitting, dents) but still have an overall healthy slab, you may want to choose a more high-build resurfacing option like epoxy slurry. An epoxy slurry is made from the combination of liquid epoxy and a slurry powder or another kind of aggregate. It is thicker and denser than a regular epoxy coating and is usually trowelled onto the surface of a concrete floor to create a new surface.
In both cases, whether you use an epoxy floor coating or a slurry, there are many options for design and customization including options for color and finish. Always remember to get only professional epoxy garage floor services from trusted contractors.
Want to get more out of your old concrete floors? Check out our other options for concrete resurfacing and learn which one best suits your taste. We’ve got more blogs in store for you! Read on about the cost of epoxy flooring.
